FreeTruth

I've been a hold-out on Lent, and, as commonly practiced, I still am. All human traditions have a built in high-risk factor which is one reason why I try to undermine them every chance I get!

This gets me into a lot of hot water, but I believe that traditions about music, Sunday attire, men's and women's roles (other than those spelled out in God's Word), holy days, liturgies, and more, must be deliberately altered periodically, or else in time they will replace God's Law. I must intentionally change the way I've always done things or the way I've always done things will supplant God's Law in my conscience.

Spiritual growth should never depend on a tradition, but on God and all His ordained means of grace alone. All else is sand. Traditions are just tools to be used or not, as the moment may suggest, and the heart may choose.

But with all that necessarily said, I think there are helpful ways we can observe traditional holy seasons if we so choose. Regarding Lent you might choose from the following options (from various sources):

1. Take a deep repentant inventory of soul. This should happen regularly (do not wait for Lent!), but it can be helpful to use the Lenten emergence from winter as a kind of spiritual emergence from any soul-winter we may be in. You can ask questions like:

- What are my characteristic sins, and how can I work and pray for change?
- What idols have captured my imagination and cooled my love for the living God?
- In what ways is my devotion to Christ and his church less than wholehearted?

2. Memorize a gospel, cross-focused text like Isaiah 52:11-53:12.

3. Write one gospel-presenting letter each Lenten week to an unbelieving person expressing the love of Christ.

4. See Lent and the Good Friday/Resurrection Day event as a reminder of your solidarity with all true believers everywhere. It's undeniably stirring, if you have a love for the universal Church, to realize that in such "holy seasons" true Christians everywhere are united in repentance, faith, and love for Christ.

5. Read good books about the finished redeeming work of Jesus Christ--through Whom alone we have our salvation apart from works and traditions. Fill your mind with grace alone, faith alone, Christ alone themes.

6. Plan to make three visits to people who are lonely or especially needy. Read them Scripture on the death and resurrection of Christ and encourage their faith and hope in Christ.

7. Choose to fast, going without food for a meal or a day or longer, using the time and energy saved to pray and meditate.

Whatever you choose never think of your way as God's Law. Never think that your observance of Lent is penance or atonement for sin. Jesus' blood alone atones. By His blood and righteousness alone are we justified in God's sight. Trusting in Jesus alone, make your choice regarding Lent. This is an evangelical way to do Lent.

As we proceed now to offer 40+ readings on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus--His Path to Glory--the way is clear for us to reflect and worship with no legalistic strings attached.

Labels: Fasting, Holy Days, Lent, Prayer, Repentance, Spiritual disciplines

Most of my early life major influences had a strong distrust of holy days, and an instinct to avoid them. They saw verses like Colossians 2:16-23, and (in my judgment) rightly concluded that any legalistically required observance of holy days (what Paul calls new moons, festivals, etc.) is a form of spiritual babyhood; a reverting to "elemental" principles of religion below that to which we are called in Christ. We've been set free from such childish requirements.

They also pointed out that the Bible nowhere mandates Lent or Good Friday or Easter or even Christmas observance. And they were right. These are human traditions, and nothing more. And as such, they cannot be required for anyone. No one has a right to command what God does not command.

They also observed how many people treat these "holy days" as if they are really holier than other days. They noticed how people act more spiritual on these days than on others. In other words, people play the hypocrite, and feel that all is okay between them and God because they've done their Easter/Lent/Christmas thing. And so my early influences reminded me often that Paul says that all days are to be consecrated to God as equally holy (Romans 14:1-12). And they were right.

I thank God for these early influences. They gave me a due caution toward all traditions and man-made additions to God's Law. I live with what I think is a healthy resistance to anything that is a human add-on to God's Word. I hate legalism and thank God for all those who've guarded me from the deadening effects of tradition.

But I do think that many in my early life missed something else Paul said. It's found in Romans 14:5-7. Honoring one day above another in a special way is not sin. It can be done for God's glory.

So long as we avoid all the dangers alluded to in my last post, it's possible and permitted to observe special days. It's possible and permitted to set apart Christmas to celebrate the birth of Christ, Good Friday to remember the death of Christ, Easter (or as I prefer to call it, Resurrection Day) to rejoice in the victory of Christ, and--if we are so inclined--Lent, to do whatever our hearts desire to draw closer to God, more appreciative of grace, more humble before the Holy One, more repentant over sin, more trusting in Christ alone for our salvation, more in love with the Savior.

All the warnings still apply, but one thing we cannot do is forbid what God allows. If some choose to honor a season as unto their Lord in a way that does not compromise any truth of the gospel, then more power to them. May God truly bless those who do. And may God truly bless those who do not!

All that said, tomorrow we'll look at a suggested evangelical way to observe Lent if you so desire.

Labels: Christian Liberty, Holy Days, Legalism, Lent, Spiritual disciplines

Today FreeTruth begins a Lenten series entitled Path to Glory. Nearly twenty of my friends will contribute to this 45+ day journey through the life, passion, resurrection, and triumph of our Lord Jesus Christ--His path to glory.

I think there's wisdom in first getting this "Lent thing" straight in our minds, before we present about forty meditations heading into the Good Friday and Easter season. If you're an evangelical Christian like me--someone who has a legitimate concern to keep the gospel free from man-made traditions and legalistic additions--you've probably asked questions about Lent. If you haven't, you probably should have, for traditions and additions can kill unguarded evangelical faith.

Let's see if I can help out with a few posts answering some FAQs about Lent.

FAQ #1--"Isn't Lent a Catholic holy season?" Answer: Yes and No.

Yes, Roman Catholics observe Lent every year. No, Lent is not only a Catholic holy season. The fact is that through the centuries to this day, many evangelical, Bible-believing Protestants have observed the Lenten season to one degree or another. That doesn't mean it's right or wrong. It just means that it isn't strictly accurate to say that Lent is only a Catholic holy season any more than to say that Christmas is only a Catholic holy day because Catholics observe that too.

Church history shows that Lent-like practice was observed widely before the Roman Catholic Church ever became very dominant and as seriously in error as it is today. Widely diverse observance of some form of fasting, repentance, and prayer, all leading into the Good Friday/Resurrection Sunday (Easter) season, traces back at least into the 100's A.D. That doesn't mean necessarily that this is a good thing to do; it simply means that a lot of real Christians have been observing Lenten-type practices for a long time.

Truth be told: there are troubling Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Coptic, High Church Anglican or Lutheran, and even superficial evangelical ways to observe Lent, and there can be a truly evangelical, gospel- and grace-saturated way to observe it.

It is by no means critical that we choose to observe Lent. I never have. And many other Christians have chosen not to and are strong devoted believers. What matters is that if we choose to observe Lent (which I believe a Christian may do), we do so in a way that in no way compromises the gospel of God's free justifying grace through the atonement of Christ alone.

We'll see if we can outline an approach to such holy seasons that does not undermine the gospel in the process.

Labels: Fasting, Holy Days, Lent, Spiritual disciplines